As the second half of 2024 begins, the breeding season is drawing to a close, summer is just around the corner, and the Alm season is about to begin. The lunging course is on the schedule, and training for the young horses can begin.

May.

The weather had been nice for quite some time, and the Alm summer was ready to begin. This year, Ilaysha and Incredible got to go up to the Alm in the Stilluptal valley. It was wonderful just to be a horse and eat their belly full.

I got to help Jazz shed her coat again. She always has such a thick winter coat that it takes her too long to shed it. As soon as it gets even a little warmer, she’s standing in the pasture, sweating.

Issy and Impressive were confirmed to be pregnant this month. Since this happened in quick succession, it would mean that the foals would also be born in quick succession next year. Since I’m writing this blog post almost two years later, the situation looks a bit different now...

At the end of the month, I taught a lunging class for the club. I demonstrated the basics of lunging, what you need for it, and how to get started. Sensation got to join in.

A few more photos from May. Issy is feeling good, and you can tell. Now that the stallions have been gelded, they can go out with the mares, though for now there’s still a wire fence between them so they can get used to each other. With Adylano, putting the halter on him is a challenge every single time. We still aren’t exactly the best of friends…

June.

I had an intern this month. That gave me plenty of time to work intensively with the young horses. Sensation needed a thorough workout so he could keep up in the lessons. I wanted to start riding Stanley and Sevimli, and Impressive needed to get back into the swing of things as well.

Everyone did a fantastic job! It’s such a great feeling when you realize how much good preparation really helps. With Sensation, it was just a matter of getting on and riding off after the winter; Press was a bit more nervous, but ultimately rode well too.

For Stanley and Sevimli, of course, we got started right from the beginning. Lunging, saddle on, then moving on to the first ride and seeing what happens. With me, a horse always has time to develop, and there’s no set timeframe for getting a horse broken in.

Stanley picked everything up very easily and seemed to enjoy being active. Sevimli needed a little more time, and that’s exactly what he got. Sevimli’s exercises were supplemented with intermediate steps to help him relax.

What kind of steps are these? I start by training a young horse on the lunge line. Starting at 2.5 years of age, I do this with a cavesson; before that, I use a rope halter. As soon as things get serious, I attach a bit to the cavesson and can slowly put on a lunging girth. Once the horse has gotten used to it, I can start using lunging aid. What I use, depends on the individual horse. It’s a matter of intuition.

Next, I move on to the saddle. As soon as the saddle is in place, I start jumping next to it, tapping the saddle, wiggling the stirrups, and so on. Then it’s time to get on. I prefer to do this alone so the horse has to focus on me. This isn’t possible with all horses, and if I have an intern, I’m happy to include them in the process, of course.

After the hanging, I move on to mounting, then a few steps, and, if it feels right, into a trot. I do this with horses that are a bit nervous, preferably on the lunge at first. With others that seem confident to me, I sometimes start off free-riding right away. Only once the walk and trot are confirmed, I start with a canter. I never do this on the lunge, as I find that a young horse maintains its balance more easily when it can run somewhat straight ahead.

Of course, the process is different for every horse. Every horse learns differently and has a different personality. Some love to work, like Stanley and Sensation. Others, on the other hand, get nervous or distracted much more easily, like Impressive and Sevimli. That’s what makes the work exciting and interesting! And that’s exactly why I love doing it so much.

At the start of the summer season, Infinity was a bit tense and nervous. I’m not exactly sure why that was. But I decided to start working with her more often again myself. So we got started with dressage training, but of course, having a little fun with the horse is part of it too. So I put a knot halter on her and off we went. She loved it!

To wrap up this blog post, here are a few beautiful photos of the alpine pasture. With this gorgeous weather, it’s never a chore to visit. After all, they’re doing so well up there!

Love, Fabiënne